[[!meta date="2016-05-22"]]
[[!meta author="Tyler Cipriani"]]
[[!meta copyright="""
Copyright &copy; 2018 Tyler Cipriani
"""]]
[[!meta title="Say, Orange Blossom Mead Makes a Nice Gift"]]


<div class="pull-right">
![A nice-looking
mead](https://photos.tylercipriani.com/thumbs/64/a5069a1f1fff15d76110a8f2e642a5/medium.jpg "A nice-looking mead"){width="500"}

![Setting up the corker to bottle
mead](https://photos.tylercipriani.com/thumbs/1a/221cc11c0e91a9fd0eca53a9c7d710/medium.jpg "Setting up the corker to bottle mead"){width="500"}

![Finished, bottled
mead](https://photos.tylercipriani.com/thumbs/bb/adb8b811c626985a30d7a1f0d80de4/medium.jpg "Finished, bottled mead"){width="300"}
</div>

I made this mead on a bit of a whim to sort of act as a mead-making
demo. I intended to back-sweeten, but ultimately I enjoyed the flavor
without any sweetening, so this became a semi-sweet mead.

This is the first mead I've ever put in fancy bottles and it's been making
really convenient to give gifts. Although if I worked out the cost per bottle
I'd probably be shocked :)

Stats
-----

-   Batch Size: 5 Gallons (18.93 L)

Fermentables
------------

  Ingredient             Amount              %      When
  ---------------------- ------------------- ------ ----------------------------
  Orange blossom honey   15 lbs (6.803 kg)   100%   mixed in a bucket to start

Yeast
-----

  Strain                      Amount    Starter
  --------------------------- --------- ---------
  Lalvin 71B-1122 dry yeast   2 packs   N/A

Other
-----

  Ingredient                   Amount   When
  ---------------------------- -------- ----------------------
  Go-Ferm                      28g      Rehydrating yeast
  Diammonium phosphate (DAP)   8g       Primary Fermentation
  Fermaid-K                    18g      Primary Fermentation

Notes
-----

100% RO water

[Kristen England Even-Speed Mead
method](http://www.ahaconference.org/wp-content/uploads/presentations/2008/KrisEngland_NHC.pdf)

-   Day 0: 4.5 g Fermaid K, 2g DAP, Rehydrate 2 packs 71B with 28 g
    Go-Ferm
-   Days 1, 3, 5, 7, 8: stir
-   Day 2, 4, 6: 4.5g Fermaid K, 2g DAP, 10 mL 2M KOH Stir

Primary Fermentation: 14 days at 68° F (ish) (20° C)

Secondary Fermentation: ??? some amount of months in a glass carboy with
a silicon airlock

Post-fermentation: SuperKleer KC used in the carboy prior to kegging
